More about O Callaghan Mont Clare Hotel
Dublin - too much, too little time
by jonbarb709
Want to see a lot of "stuff" in a great city. Dublin is the place to visit. There is so much, its hard to put it any sequence so I won't. Just go there, enjoy the town and see as much as you can.
Trinity College - Book of Kells, the cities most prized possession. Dated around AD800 by monks from the island of Iona in Scotland.
Temple Bar - Its not a bar, its the part of the city that is the most active. Restaurants, pubs, shops, art, etc. Take a stroll thru the area, you won't be disappointed.
Mulligan's Pub, - according to the tour books, the best Guinness in town - so we went and it was. Cold and tasty. Located at 8 Poolbeg St.
Pasta Fresca - Italian restaurant, 3 Chatham St. Go there before 6 for its early bird special. We unfortunately didn't, but the prices were still reasonable. Food was great, service was excellent. The area around the restaurant was jammed with people, there are a number of restaurants and pubs in the area and it was the week of Soccer playoffs.
The Natural Museum of Ireland and the Natural Gallery are two stops that should be included in your trip around Dublin.
At Merton Square, across the the street from the Mont Clare Hotel is a park. In the park, a statue of Oscar Wilde, sitting on a rock. Its a must see, a check mark for "been there, done that".
There are a number of pubs that are worth stopping in. Foley's and Doheny and Nesbitts are just a couple. But the best kind of pubs to stop in are the one's you find and mix with the locals.
Grafton Street - shopping to the max, street musicians, departments stores, cafe's, and chocolate stores.
Best of everything.
by TripAdvisor Member W0rldview
My wife and I just returned from our trip to Dublin. We stayed at the Mont Clare and cannot say enough about the staff, accommodation and location.
We were just down the street from the National Art Museum (which is free), a 10 minute walk to the Grafton shopping district. Trinity College was just minutes away. Being from Boston, Ma. area, the weather for us was great.
What surprised us most was the number of coffee shops through out the city. Most have indoor and outdoor seating and serve breakfast, lunch and snacks. What a great way to see Dublin and have a break. You have to try the restaurants, the food was excellent. Kitty O'Sheas is one we recommend.
Good value, great location, friendly staff
by A TripAdvisor Member
This represents good value for money in an increasingly expensive city. The location is great - walking distance to the main attractions. The highly recommended AirCoach drops you about 50 ft from the front door. The staff were very friendly and extremely accommodating - the gave us an early check-in (always nice after an overnight flight) and quickly located some milk at midnight when my son was hungry. There are plenty of good bagel/breakfast type places just down the street. The room was your standard European room - small but very clean. The only drawback was the street noise - not excessive but noticeable. See if you can get a room away from the street. Overall though, highly recommended.
Great stay!
by TripAdvisor Member Roadtravlr
Stayed at the Mont Clare for six nights. This was my first trip to Dublin (or Europe for that matter!) and I must say I was impressed with the stay. The location is great--you are about 10 to 15 minutes walk from all major tourist spots a just across the street from the post office. Public transportation is ample (the Merrion Square North aircoach is right across from the hotel). The staff was quite nice. I arrived at 9am, while my friend (who had booked the hotel) wasn't scheduled to arrive until after 3pm. They let me check in as soon as the room was cleaned, which was about an hour later. The room we had a was a double twin room on the 3rd Floor--very quiet and clean. Be warned: housekeeping came by really early (around 8:30am) so put the "do not disturb" sign on the door if you are not an early riser. I cannot vouch for the hotel restaurant, but it seemed pricey for what they offered. The Mont Clare is near many cafes and within walking distance to great restaurants, so you are not limited by food choices. The hotel may have wi-fi in the rooms but it doesn't have a dedicated computer/business center. I walked to the local internet cafes to get my internet fix! All in all I had a good stay and if I come back to Dublin--I hope my stay is at the Mont Clare.
Magnificent Mont Clare
by TripAdvisor Member ssirish51
My wife and I along with another couple recently returned from a weeklong stay in Ireland which began with a first night stay at the Mont Clare. This hotel was an outstanding(book direct on the hotel website)value for a prime location in Center City Dublin. The location was a leisurely ten minute walk to Grafton Street along the south perimeter of Trinity College. The parking garage was free and a short block or two walk from the hotel. We did not do the B&B since a previous reviewer mentioned many eateries and convenience stores along the walk to Grafton Street with much cheaper breakfasts and fresh fruit,etc. After a long night of enjoying Ireland's favorite beverages and closing the hotel bar with Cyril the former butcher turned bartender and a night flight from Chicago we would have missed anyway. The hotel is a smaller hotel and part of the O'Callaghan Hotel Group which has a sister hotel across the street with a gym you can use. The rooms are typical and in nice shape. The hotel is attractive and clean. Maria at the reception desk was a very friendly and helpful young Dubliner who recommended Foley's bar and restaurant down the street as a reasonable place where the locals go to eat. A good choice! The location across from Oscar Wilde's sitting statue in Merrion Square was also next to the Government buildings and art museum so the area is very safe. Since it rained we took cabs back and forth from Temple Bar about 5 Euros with tip each way. I would definitely stay there the next time around. If you are looking for location, a nice upscale feeling hotel at a very reasonalbe price(79E) for a double this is your place. And if its your anniversary and your lucky you just might be upgraded to the Lady Lavery Suite.
Great if you can get a cheap rate
by TripAdvisor Member 4MR
We stayed for 3 nights and got a midweek rate of 80 euros per night. As we paid so little the hotel was great. Rooms were a bit small and dark and the bath was only half size but it was comfortable and very clean. The location is excellent for exploring the city and you don't need to get buses or taxis at all.The staff were very friendly and let us check in at midday which a lot of hotels will not.
My only complaint is that we requested a quiet room and then were woken at 5:30am every day by the sound of someone clattering up and down the metal fire escape. Other than that it's a good option unless you don't like hen parties- we saw two during our stay-eek!
Loved the Mont Clare
by TripAdvisor Member littlesr
Highly recommend this hotel. We booked in January for the St Patrick weekend when most of the hotel were already fully booked. We thought that was a little expensive but we needed a hotel so we were quite happy anyway of having one...
But now, after our 3 days holiday, i'm sure it wasn't expensive at all! Quite a bargain actually if you consider that it's located pretty much in the city centre, only 15 minutes walk from Temple Bar, and our particular room consisted of a very comfortable super king size bed, and an imaculate bathroom.
Also, even though the view wasn't that good as it was on an internal courtyard, was definitely very silent!
Enjoyed also the amazing breakfast included in the price!
Friendly staff at the reception desk.
A successful return to the Mont Clare
by TripAdvisor Member Talisker
We had no hesitation about going back to the Mont Clare for a long weekend in March, after our first visit in November 2004. As on our first visit, we were very happy with the comfort, cleanliness and service in the hotel. We arrived about 11am and they kept our bags until our room was ready - we got a choice of front or back facing.
The buffet breakfast is excellent - a choice of hot and cold food, and the hotel bar is great for a nightcap after a night out. We didn't eat in the retaurant as there are many excellent places nearby, but we had an tasty sandwich from the lunchtime buffet, and the Guinness is kept in good condition.
The location is very central, but far enough away from the popular hen and stag venues in Temple Bar.
We'd happily go back on our next trip to Dublin.
